Veteran actor and legendary superstar Manoj Kumar, who was also fondly known as Bharat Kumar, died at 87 in Mumbai. He was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, where he breathed his last on Friday at 3:30 am.

The veteran star was suffering from severe heart-related problems for quite some time and was undergoing treatment for the same. As per the medical report issued by the hospital, the secondary reason for Manoj Kumar`s death was decompensated liver cirrhosis.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X (formerly Twitter) and penned a heartfelt note. He shared a picture with the legendary actor and wrote, “He was an icon of Indian cinema who was particularly remembered for his patriotic zeal, which was also reflected in his films. Manoj Ji`s works ignited a spirit of national pride and will continue to inspire generations. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this hour of grief. Om Shanti.”

The Purab Aur Paschim actor`s son, Kunal Goswami, revealed that Mr. Kumar had been suffering heart issues for a long time. In an interview with ANI, he said, “It`s the grace of God that he bid adieu to this world peacefully. His cremation will take place tomorrow morning… He was happy. Just a little unwell.”

Many celebrities, including filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, took to social media and mourned his death. Agnihotri credited the late Mr. Kumar for making patriotic cinema without any controversies and also commended the legacy he has left behind.

A part of his tweet read, “He made patriotism cinematic, without noise. He made nationalism poetic, without apology. In a time of borrowed voices and secondhand aesthetics, he dared to be rooted. Patriots and artists like him never die. They simply transcend — into memory, into celluloid, into the nation’s heartbeat.”

More about Manoj Kumar`s cinematic career

Mr. Kumar hails from Abbottabad, a small town in the North-West Frontier Province of British India (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). He was born in 1937 and was named Harikrishnan Goswami.

His journey in films began with a rather unremarkable debut in the 1957 release, Fashion Brand, followed by lesser-known roles in Sahara (1958), Chand (1959), and Honeymoon (1960).

It was only in 1961 that he secured his first leading role in the film Kaanch Ki Guidya. His thriller movie Gumnaam (1965) was one of his highest-grossing films, collecting Rs. 2.6 crore.

He made his directorial debut in 1975 with Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, for which he won the Best Director Award at the Filmfare Awards. His last appearance was in the 1995 release, Maidan-E-Jung.